Holidays Made Easy #HolidayGuide #Cbias

Holidays Made Easy #HolidayGuide

Now that we’re in November I can easily say that the holiday season is upon us. Back when the Christmas decorations were already crowding out the Halloween decorations, I didn’t feel so great about it. And this is from someone who loves this time of year. It just felt too early. But now I’m totally in the mood!

But the holidays are a busy time for us because we also have a handful of birthdays (including W’s) thrown in the mix. That’s what I like anything that can help me out. The new #HolidayGuide from Party Blu Prints should be call Holidays Made Easy! From food and drink ideas to gift ideas, there is really a bit of everything in this guide!

Festive Food Ideas

I’ll admit that I was just flipping through the guide to check out the ideas when I happened upon the recipe for Candied Snickerdoodles. How absolutely adorable for a Christmas cookie platter! And I love snickerdoodles. LOVE them! So I was pretty much sold after discovering this recipe in the #HolidayGuide.

But then I found out that the guide also has ideas for those of us who need things to be a little bit more convenient. I don’t always have time to get in the kitchen and bake. This year our winter break doesn’t start until 2 days before Christmas. Usually I have a week. So baking will all have to be done on the weekends.

I spotted these at my local Target recently and narrowly escaped buying them. They are Milano cookies (yum!) and so very festive. It’s like they were trying to jump off the shelf into my basket. But I resisted… for now. I think there would be great for school lunches and treats. But they would also make fantastic additions to a cookie tray or goodie bag!

And they are so easy! Cute and easy is good by me!

Tips for Holiday Entertaining

I also loved the quick tips for holiday entertaining I found in the guide. With holiday happenings combined with a birthday party to plan, it can get a little hectic around here. But these tips are definitely ones I will take to heart. The last one definitely spoke loudly to me. Although I might be the one planning everything, I shouldn’t have to work through it all!

I need to remember to get out there and make memories rather than just coordinate them for my family!

Holiday Gift Ideas

I’m always on the hunt for holiday gift ideas. I am pretty good at coming up with ideas, but inspiration is everywhere! Lately I’ve found some great things at Sears so I loved seeing searsStyle featured in the #HolidayGuide. I’ll be heading over to our local Sears store (before it closes boo!) to pick up a few items for a gift basket.

Grambo and I have been putting together gift baskets for a family at her church. We send boxes to the dad who has been deployed overseas. And we put together care baskets for the mom and little girl. It’s going to be a tough holiday season for them so we want to brighten their days as much as we can.

At Sears, I’m going to be shopping for mom! We have a great start on some gifts for the little girl but we don’t want her mom to feel left out! (Although as a mom, seeing W happy brings me joy that is beyond comparison. It’s better than any gift.)

We’re looking forward to putting together a basket of little things that might make her feel special. Things she might not buy for herself considering what she is going through. I’ll admit it, I’m thinking little goodies that definitely aren’t necessities! That’s what gift giving is all about, right?

I cannot wait to see what ideas I can find while at Sears! I’m sure we’ll be able to put together a fabulous gift basket for a hard-working mom. Grambo and I just want her to know that people are thinking about her during this time of year.

What do you do to make your holiday shopping or party planning just a bit easier? Any tips or tricks?

Formula Mom Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® andSears Style #CBias #SocialFabric

About Mariah Moon

Mariah is a former teacher and mother of a rambunctious little boy living in The Woodlands, Texas. She recently welcomed a little girl into the family and is learning how to balance a toddler and an infant! She works every day to figure out how to balance all of her roles and figure out her formula for being mom! Read more about Mariah!

Welcome

A former teacher turned work-at-home mom, Mariah used to spend her day with a class of kids and now finds herself in charge of her own two (ages 4 and 1). She never realized two could keep you just as a busy as a room full!

Now she spends her days keeping the kids busy, exploring The Woodlands, Texas, and figuring out how to balance it all. Learn more!